


It's the 1950s, Baby

by dalwoongie



Category: AB6IX (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Noir, Drinking, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:06:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22863745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dalwoongie/pseuds/dalwoongie
Summary: Woojin Park, the experienced private detective, stuck in a rut. Woong Jeon, the fresh-faced young man who wants to understand his absentee father. What adventures will the City of Angels hold for them both?
Relationships: Jeon Woong & Park Woojin, Jeon Woong/Park Woojin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. A Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration [here](https://twitter.com/dalw00ngie/status/1231561122358026240?s=19)  
> Listen [here](https://youtu.be/WDippeD3pj8)

_Shepherd & Park Detective Agency_

_Woojin Park, Private Investigator_

Rain drops pelted the windows of the dimly lit West Hollywood second floor office. Woojin Park sat at his desk, an unlit cigar dangling from his mouth. He sighed heavily as he stared at the papers in front of him. He was happy to have work, but hell if it wasn't boring. 

This broad suspected that her husband was cheating on her, while that broad suspected her husband was cheating on her _and_ gambling away his paycheck. It was all a piece of cake. The answer was always, "Yes, he is cheating. Yes, he is losing his paycheck playing poker every week." 

They would cry as they sat across from him, he'd offer his handkerchief and a listening ear, they would pay the rest of his fee, and then they would leave to confront the losers they had unfortunately married. Traumatic for them, a bit of a snore for him. 

He turned on the radio as he continued looking over the few cases he had ongoing. _You would think Hollywood would have something more interesting to offer,_ he thought to himself. He felt bad for these ladies, without a doubt, but he knew he should be working on bigger and better things, if crimes could be considered "better." 

He leaned back in his chair and set the cigar he had been chewing on aside. Sighing again, he closed his eyes and focused on the soft jazz that was mingling with the sound of the rain. 

He thought back to his first day in Hollywood, over six years ago. He had followed his mentor from New York City, to open their own private investigation agency. 

_You won't regret it!_ Allan Shepherd had told him. _It's still a new frontier! The Wild West!_ Shepherd would always wave a pretend lasso over his head when he talked about the West, causing Woojin to both laugh and shake his head at the ridiculous act. He had had his doubts about the move, because the West could hardly be considered a new frontier anymore, but he felt forever indebted to the man. 

He still didn't regret it, per se, but if he could go back in time...

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. 

"Come in," he said, opening his eyes and sitting up straight in his chair again. The door creaked open, and he saw a thin, mousy haired young man enter. 

"Hello, Detective Park?" The unknown man closed the door behind him, placed his wet umbrella in the holder next to the door, and strode towards Woojin with confidence, hand extended in greeting. 

Woojin nodded and stood up, reaching out for a handshake. He noticed he was a good few inches taller than the stranger. "Yes, what can I do for you, Mr...?"

"Jeon, Woong Jeon," the man said with a beaming smile as he gripped Woojin's hand firmly. He let go after a beat and moved to sit in the chair opposite the desk. 

Woojin noted that his handshake had been strong, but there was a falter in his voice when he introduced himself. His hair was well kept and swept back neatly, while his white button-down shirt and blue slacks looked oversized on him.

"Okay, Mr. Jeon, what brings you to my office?" Woojin asked as he leaned forward at his desk, clasping his hands in front of himself. He was taken aback when the other man mirrored his posture and also leaned forward a bit. 

"I would like to join your firm," Mr. Jeon answered, a radiant smile on his face again. Woojin felt his heart skip a beat and had to keep himself from coughing out of startlement. 

"I... beg your pardon? Have you come to the wrong agency? I don't remember advertising any job openings," Woojin replied, crossing his arms across his chest. 

"You _are_ Woojin Park, correct? Of Shepherd and Park? If so, there's been no mistake. I'm here to join your agency as I would like to learn from the best of the best." Mr. Jeon smiled again, staring at Woojin in anticipation. 

Woojin couldn't hold back his laughter at the last part of his statement. "'The best of the best?' Now I am _truly_ convinced that you are at the wrong place. Might I direct you to Dunn's United Detective Agency? Or City of Angels Private Investigators?" Woojin stood up and walked over towards the map of Los Angeles hanging on the wall of his office. "They seem to have all the clients these days," he muttered bitterly under his breath. 

"Detective Park," Mr. Jeon stood up quickly from his seat and walked towards the other side of the office as well. "I'm not lost. I..."

Woojin turned to face the man, surprised to see his smile gone. Mr. Jeon was looking at the ground, hands grasped together, squeezing and releasing with apparent worry. 

Mr. Jeon took a deep breath and made eye contact with Woojin again. "I'm not surprised that you don't know about me," he said with a sheepish smile. He cleared his throat and continued, seemingly gathering courage. "I'm actually... Allan Shepherd's son. I know he mentored you, and I've finally made it out to California, and-"

"His son?" Woojin interrupted in disbelief. He knew Shepherd had children, but that was always something his mentor had kept the details of to himself. "I... don't know what to say."

"Please, just say you'll let me work for you," Mr. Jeon reached forward and grabbed one of Woojin's hands with both of his, eyes shut and a desperate look on his face. "I didn't get the chance to learn from my father, but surely he taught you all that he knew..." he trailed off and looked up at Woojin, eyes welling up with tears but none falling. 

Woojin felt his heart rate start to speed up and he had to break eye contact. He grasped Mr. Jeon's shoulder with his free hand. 

"Mr. Jeon. I cannot explain how much your father helped me," Woojin began. "I just don't know if I'm ready to mentor anyone my-" He stopped speaking when he looked at the man across from him again and saw the tears begin to spill from his eyes. 

Mr. Jeon let go of Woojin's hand and wiped at his face with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket. He stood up straight and adjusted his shirt before speaking again. "I understand," he said with a curt nod. "This was really a shot in the dark. I'll leave you to your work, then." He turned and headed to the door, exiting the office at a quick pace. 

Woojin stood, frozen in disbelief, left staring at the doorway, the sound of the rain and the jazz music from the radio barely registering in his mind. 

After what felt like ages, but in actuality had only been about thirty seconds, Woojin came back to his senses. He noticed an umbrella that wasn't his sitting in the holder. He looked out the window and saw that the rain was showing no signs of letting up. 

_Destiny?_ he thought and smiled to himself as he grabbed the umbrella, threw open the door, and rushed down the stairs and onto the stormy Hollywood streets. 


	2. Start Anew

Woong shoved his hands in his pockets and hurried down the empty streets, ignoring the rain seeping through his clothes. He passed cafes and restaurants full of people and suddenly felt very alone. _I shouldn't have come here_ , he thought, mentally kicking himself for his optimism.

\-----

"I really don't know what you think you'll find out there," his mother had told him over dinner one night. "If your father had wanted to contact you, he would've. He knew where we lived." She trailed off as she angrily tapped at the stem of her wine glass. "Maybe he thought Christmas and birthday cards once a year were enough." She laughed bitterly at her own joke.

"I know, Mom, but maybe he was going to before he died! We don't know what he could've been thinking! You know I sent him letters, surely he read them!" Woong could barely contain the desperation in his voice. His mother stood up from the table with a huff.

"Why are you acting like this now?! Why the sudden interest again? I thought you would have grown out of this. You have your job, your girlfriend. I just don't get it." She ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "He left us, he left you, before you could even talk. And then he found another woman in this godforsaken city, and then another, and then, without a word, he moved away!" She pointed a finger at Woong. "Remember who you're idolizing," she said as she walked out of the dining room.

He rolled his eyes as she left. Well, he could do his job anywhere in the country, it wasn't hard to play piano in lounges. She didn't know that his relationship had fallen apart. And that the girlfriend she never got to meet had actually been a boyfriend. Plus, he didn't idolize the philandering side of his father. But he didn't expect her to understand - there was a lot she didn't understand about her son.

He sat by himself in the dining room for another hour that night, planning his trip to California. He had already talked to the detectives that had known Allan Shepherd in New York City, but they had known him six years ago - a person can change a lot in that time. The only way to find out about his father would be to meet the detective he spent the last years of his life with. He _had_ to go to Hollywood.

\-----

He was startled out of his memories when a passing truck sped through a puddle and caused a wave of dirty street water to soak him from the waist down.

"You have got to be kidding me!" he yelled. As he stood on the sidewalk feeling defeated, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "What do you want?" he snapped as he turned around.

"Well, I thought I'd return this to you, but I don't know how much help it'll be now." It was Detective Park, with Woong's umbrella. The brim of his hat was dripping wet and he hadn't put on a jacket. _Did he rush out into the rain to return this to me...?_ He blushed slightly and began to stutter out an apology.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I- I'm, uh..." he motioned around himself with his arms. "I'm having a bad day," he finally said. Woojin smiled at him kindly as he opened the umbrella and passed it to Woong.

"Clearly," Woojin said with a small laugh. "I would've caught up to you quicker, but I got held up by an old client." He shrugged and smiled at Woong again.

 _Oh, no, he's cute,_ Woong thought as he just stared at Woojin. He hadn't noticed at the office because of his nerves. But oh boy, was he noticing now.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," Woojin continued. "I was just... really surprised to meet one of Allan's kids."

Woong's heart dropped for a second. _One_ of Allan's kids. He sometimes forgot that there were more of Allan Shepherd's offspring out there.

"Did my father ever-" Woong started before Woojin cut him off.

"Do you want to go inside? I think we'll catch pneumonia if we continue talking out here."

"Oh. You're probably right. My hotel is quite a few blocks away, should we go back to your office?"

"My apartment is just down the block, if you don't mind?" Woojin asked. Woong paused before nodding, begging his heart to slow down. _He's just being kind and his apartment is nearer, relax._

They walked together in silence for a minute, Woong now under his umbrella and Woojin just slightly ahead of him, before reaching the apartment block. Woojin led him up the stairs to the second floor and pulled out his keys. He pushed open the door and entered first, hanging his hat up on the wall before offering to take Woong's umbrella.

Woong paused at the doorway to take a look around the place. It seemed to be a one bedroom, one bath but it was still more spacious than most of the apartments he had been to in New York. There was a large window in the living room that probably let in a lot of sunlight when the weather wasn't so bad. He didn't notice any pictures on the wall, but there was one large poster of "Casablanca".

Woojin followed Woong's gaze and chuckled. "I liked the movie," he said with a shrug. "Do you want to change your clothes?"

Woong just stared back at him blankly. _What's going on..._

"Because you're soaking wet."

Woong's eyes widened and he began to blush in embarrassment. "Oh! Yes. That'd be nice."

Woojin looked at him with an amused expression on his face. "Bedroom's this way, I'll lay out some clothes that might fit you."

After changing his clothes, Woong headed for the kitchen where he could hear Woojin rustling around. He entered to find him pulling two bottles of beer out of the fridge.

"Thanks for the clothes," he said as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt. It was a bit big on him, and he had to roll the slacks up, but they were comfortable. And dry, so he couldn't complain.

"Don't mention it. It's my fault you were out in the rain like that." Woojin turned around and handed Woong one of the beers.

"Thanks." Woong took a sip and sighed. He had had a long day, he deserved a bit of a drink.

"Come," Woojin said as he motioned with his head towards the living room. Woong followed him and sat on the sofa, while Woojin sat in the adjacent arm chair.

Woong couldn't help but stare when Woojin tilted his head back to drink from his own beer bottle. He watched his Adam's apple bob up and down with each gulp. Their eyes met when Woojin stopped drinking and he set his beer on the coffee table. Woojin smirked, causing Woong to look away, embarrassed at having been caught staring.

"Look, Mr. Jeon-"

"You can call me Woong, Detective Park," Woong interrupted.

"Well, then you can call me Woojin," he replied. "Look, Woong, can I be frank with you?" Woong nodded silently in response. "Allan never really," Woojin paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "He never said anything specific about his kids. Not how many, not your names, nothing."

Woong leaned back to look at the ceiling, taking in Woojin's words. "I'm not surprised, really. I, um, never actually met him in person." Woong laughed at himself as he said that out loud. "I don't know what I expected!"

"I'm sorry I can't give you any answers or information that you're probably looking for."

"No need to apologize, Detect- Woojin. It was foolish of me to come out here."

"I don't think so. You had to, or else all the 'what ifs' would've eaten you up inside, huh?"

Woong sat up straight and looked at Woojin again. "I'd still like to join your agency."

Woojin took another sip of beer and looked Woong up and down. "Might I ask why?"

"Well, it's what my father loved, and-"

Woojin cut him off. "Is it what you love? What experience do you have?"

"I- None, yet, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?" Woong shrugged slightly as he played with the label on his beer bottle.

"I'm going to be frank with you again, Woong," Woojin said as he leaned forward, his elbows on the armrests of his chair. "Becoming a detective won't bring you closer to your dad."

Woong looked down at his hands which were folded on his lap. He felt like a child, being lectured to. "I don't think you know me well enough, or even at all, to make a claim like that," he said.

"I knew your dad, though. And while he was great at what he did, a job is just a job, right?" Woojin rebutted. Woong looked up when he heard Woojin stand up from his chair. He watched as Woojin walked over to the window and cracked it open, letting in a soft breeze. "Want a smoke?" he asked, holding out a cigarette for Woong.

"Oh, sure," Woong said as he headed towards the window as well. He placed the cigarette between his lips and reached into his pockets for his lighter. "Ah, my lighter is in _my_ pants pocket."

"I've got you." Woojin reached over and lifted the lighter up to Woong's face. Woong prayed he wouldn't blush, or if he did, that Woojin wouldn't notice.

They smoked silently for a minute or two before Woojin spoke again. "Allan's apartment was just over there." He pointed out the window towards a beige building across the street. "Most days, we would meet up at 7 am sharp for breakfast at a cafe down the block. Then we'd walk to the office."

Woong looked out the window and tried to imagine Woojin and his father walking down the street together. He hadn't really seen a recent photo of him, but he could imagine what his father would've looked like a few years ago.

"Woong," Woojin turned to look at him now. "I don't think being a detective will tell you much about your dad, and to be honest, I have no clue what you're hoping to find out, but if you don't mind spending some time with me, I think I can at least give you an idea of what Allan was like."

Woong took a drag on his cigarette and considered the offer. "I don't mind, but if I'm not working as a detective in training under you, I'm going to need a job, and I don't know anyone in this city, and-"

"You know me," Woojin said. "And being a detective affords you a lot of connections. We'll get you settled."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't want to be a burden."

"It's no burden. Allan Shepherd was my mentor and one of the most interesting men I knew. It'd be nice to reminisce over our years together."

Woong considered the offer in silence as he finished off his cigarette.

"Well, what do you say?" Woojin asked as he leaned against the window and looked at Woong.

"Why not, I guess. I'm already out here," he answered with a smile.

"That's the spirit!" Woojin clapped him on the shoulder and headed to the kitchen. "How about another beer to celebrate our burgeoning friendship?"

Woong laughed and headed to the kitchen once more, enjoying the butterflies he felt in his stomach. Maybe this change of plans would be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> I just couldn't get this idea out of my head after seeing the photos for the MAPS magazine! I'm not sure where it will go, but this first bit was fun. ♡


End file.
